NFL Rundown - Week 10

This post written while reading about provocation as a partial defense for murder.

Week 9 Recap

Chris	Adam
Most Surprising Team: Tennessee. The 49ers are a good team, and I predicted that San Francisco would have their way with the Titans. I was wrong. While the Titans were never as good as their record last season, they're not as bad as their record this time around.	Most Surprising Team: Tennessee. They started 0-6, had a bye week, and are 2-0 since. The competition has been adequate, and with games against Buffalo and Houston on the horizon, they could edge closer to .500.
Most Disappointing Team: Indianapolis. Sure, they won and are 8-0, but they've struggled the last 2 weeks. They needed a miss from 42 yards by a very good kicker to win in regulation against the Texans. Their rush offense has been underwhelming all season.	Most Disappointing Team: New York Giants. They started out 5-0. They are now 5-4. Bad losses against Philly and AZ preceded last week’s debacle against SD. Manning and Jacobs were good, but Bradshaw is getting way too many carries in this offense.
Offensive Player of the Week: TE Dallas Clark. Though he didn't score a TD, 14 catches is a career high for the Colts tight end. His 60 receptions on the season is 15 more than any other TE in the NFL, and his lead in yards is by more than 100 over Gates.	Offensive Player of the Week: RB Michael Turner. 18 Carries and 166 yards leads to an average of 9.2 (!!!) yards/rush. His two TD trips were nice as well. Several people, including this blogger, had Turner slowing down this season. We missed.
Defensive Player of the Week: DT Jonathan Babineaux. He had about as good a game you can ask for from a DT, with 9 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Even when he wasn't sacking Campbell, the Washington QB was feeling the pain, as Babineaux hit him time and time again.	Defensive Player of the Week: DT Jonathan Babineaux. 2.5 sacks to go along with 9 tackles is one of the big reasons Atlanta shrugged off a weak Washington team. Babineaux is better than he gets credit for, though, and you could see his name more often as the season progresses.

Top 10: (No comments. I'm busy and kinda late.)
1. New Orleans Saints (8-0)
2. Indianapolis Colts (8-0)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)
4. Minnesota Vikings (7-1)
5. New England Patriots (6-2)
6. Cincinnati Bengals (6-2)
7. Dallas Cowboys (6-2)
8. San Diego Chargers (5-3)
9. Arizona Cardinals (5-3)
10. Denver Broncos (6-2)

Week 10 Picks:

	Chris	Adam
Chicago @ San Francisco	San Francisco	Chicago
Atlanta @ Carolina	Atlanta	Carolina
Tampa Bay @ Miami	Miami	Miami
Jacksonville @ N.Y. Jets	N.Y. Jets	N.Y. Jets
Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh	Cincinnati	Pittsburgh
New Orleans @ St. Louis	New Orleans	New Orleans
Buffalo @ Tennessee	Tennessee	Tennessee
Denver @ Washington	Denver	Washington
Kansas City @ Oakland	Kansas City	Oakland
Seattle @ Arizona	Arizona	Arizona
Dallas @ Green Bay	Dallas	Dallas
Philadelphia @ San Diego	Philadelphia	San Diego
New England @ Indianapolis	New England	New England
Baltimore @ Cleveland	Baltimore	Baltimore
Week #9	9-4	7-6
Overall	77-52	77-52

Players to Watch

Chris	Adam
Offensive Player to Watch: Brett Favre. I know, I know - who's not watching him? But the Lions have one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL (worst defensive QB rating in the NFL), so look for Favre to feast on Detroit this weekend.	Offensive Player to Watch: Chris Johnson. He’s not on a great team, but the dude has 491 yards rushing…in his last three games! Buffalo is currently dead last in the NFL in run defense, and Johnson could end up with over 700 rushing yards in a 4 game stretch.
Defensive Player to Watch: DeMarcus Ware. He's only 14th in sacks this season so far with 5, but this week he gets just what he needs to move him toward the top of the leaderboard: a game against the Packers, whose woeful offensive line has allowed a lead-leading 37 sacks.	Defensive Player to Watch: DeAngelo Hall. Hall is 9th in the NFL in interceptions, and will draw a real tough match-up this week in Denver’s Brandon Marshall. I may be going out on a limb here, but I see Hall having a REAL good game. He’ll need to for Wash to pull of the upset.

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NFL Rundown - Week 9

This post written while laughing a little inside at Oregon.

Week 8 Recap

Chris	Adam
Most Surprising Team: Carolina. The fact that they beat Arizona is surprising enough. But when you consider their utter collapse against those same Cardinals in the playoffs, and that they forced Warner into 6 turnovers... that's shocking.	Most Surprising Team: Houston. Don't look now, but after a convincing win @ Buffalo, Houston has won 4 of their last 5. I'm not sure they have the talent to make the playoffs, but with their bye still to come, they can win 10 games this season.
Most Disappointing Team: New York Giants. Way to come out mondo flat. The Giants went into halftime down 30 to 7, then gave up over 100 yards rushing to the Eagles in the second half alone. After starting 5-0, New York is now 5-3 and trailing in a tough division.	Most Disappointing Team: New York Jets. They started off strong, but have lost 4 of their last 5. Their schedule isn't very easy for the rest of the season either. If Sanchez struggles in the cold New York air this winter, the Jets will miss the playoffs.
Offensive Player of the Week: Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. It was impossible for the game to live up to the hype, but the quarterbacks sure did. They combined for over 500 yards with 7 TDs and 0 (0!!!) interceptions.	Offensive Player of the Week: Ryan Moats. 23 carries, 126 yards, and three trips to paydirt. He was very impressive against the hapless Bills. I'm not sure he'll have a better game than that for the rest of the year, but he was absolute money last week.
Defensive Player of the Week: Shawne Merriman. Yeah, he was playing the Raiders, but it's the first big game for Merriman since 2007. He had his first 2 sacks since that 2007 season, and his 7 tackles is nearly half of what he had in the first 6 games combined (11).	Defensive Player of the Week: Julius Peppers. A sack, a forced fumble, and a INT returned for a touchdown sums up how Carolina beat the defending NFC Champs in Arizona last week. Peppers is still amazing, but can be overshadowed by an overall bad team.

Top 10: (I had comments typed up for these. Then Blogger screwed up and I lost all the work. So, screw it. Just teams this week.)
1. New Orleans Saints (7-0)
2. Indianapolis Colts (7-0)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2)
4. Minnesota Vikings (7-1)
5. New England Patriots (5-2)
6. Denver Broncos (6-1)
7. Cincinnati Bengas (5-2)
8. Philadelphia Eagles (5-2)
9. Dallas Cowboys (5-2)
10. Houston Texans (5-3)

Week 9 Picks:

	Chris	Adam
Washington @ Atlanta	Atlanta	Atlanta
Arizona @ Chicago	Arizona	Chicago
Baltimore @ Cincinnati	Cincinnati	Baltimore
Houston @ Indianapolis	Indianapolis	Indianapolis
Kansas City @ Jacksonville	Jacksonville	Jacksonville
Miami @ New England	New England	Miami
Green Bay @ Tampa Bay	Green Bay	Green Bay
Carolina @ New Orleans	New Orleans	New Orleans
Detroit @ Seattle	Seattle	Seattle
San Diego @ N.Y. Giants	N.Y. Giants	San Diego
Tennessee @ San Francisco	San Francisco	San Francisco
Dallas @ Philadelphia	Philadelphia	Philadelphia
Pittsburgh @ Denver	Pittsburgh	Pittsburgh
Week #8	7-6	9-4
Overall	68-48	70-46

Players to Watch

Chris	Adam
Offensive Player to Watch: Alex Smith. If he's going to make a statement, it's here. Tennessee is the 32nd ranked pass defense and has given up the most passing TDs (19) in the NFL. Opposing QBs have put up a passer rating of over 108 on the Titans.	Offensive Player to Watch: Maurice Jones-Drew. 8 carries for 177 yards and 2 TDs in a loss last week. Jax goes up against a terrible KC team, and MJD could put up a repeat performance. Don't be surprised if he finds the end zone two more times this weekend.
Defensive Player to Watch: Darren Sharper. Sure, Jake Delhomme played well last week against the Cardinals. But the Saints ain't no Cardinals, and Darren Sharper, the good kind of NFL leader in picks, could get a couple against Delhomme, who's the bad kind of leader in that category.	Defensive Player to Watch: Charles Tillman. The Bears CB looks to be completely healthy for the first time in a while, and had an INT returned for 6 last week as evidence. The Bears play Arizona this week, and they are last in the league in rushing. Look for Tillman to have another pick this week.

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Mid-Season's Top Positions Players -- Quarterback

This post was written while watching Drew Brees and Matty Ice duke it out. A fitting game to watch before putting our QB list down.

In this post, I'll break down what Chris and I believe are the top 8 players at the QB position through 8 weeks of the NFL Season. RB, TE and WR positions to come in the next few days. So with no further adieu, here are the eight best Quarterbacks from the first half of the season.

#8 -- Kyle Orton -- Denver Broncos
He's not going to be a pro-bowler. He's not lit up the league with his sensational passes. He's not one of "those guys" that every team wants to have. But at the end of the day, Orton's been plain good for the 6-1 Broncos. His stats aren't amazing (13th in Comp%, 14th in Yards), but he's done what he's been asked to do, and is playing in a system that fits his skill-set perfectly. He may not end the season in the top-8, but he's had a great first half.

#7 -- Ben Roethlisberger -- Pittsburgh Steelers
Most NFL fans can't stand the guy, and I understand why. He looks lazy and slow at times, and holds on to the ball way too long. But the dude is a winner. He's sporting a QB Rat. over 100, and has the 3rd most yards in the NFL. On top of that, I'm not sure any team in the NFL would look forward to a matchup against the defending champs at this point. Their mettle will be tested in the next few weeks, with games @ Denver, Vs Cincinnati, and @ Baltimore in the next four weeks.

#6 -- Brett Favre -- Minnesota Vikings
This is the one QB that's liked a little less than Big Ben, but the old man just keeps getting it done. He has the 8th most yards in the NFL, and a deceiving QB Rat of 106.0. He does have a lot of dump-off passes, but everyone knows that Tavaris Jackson wouldn't have thrown that game winner against the 49ers in week 3. He's more than efficient, and time will tell whether or not he will hold up for the entire season. After the midway point, however, he's as good as advertised, and Vikings fans and players are enjoying a QB with intangibles and talent that they've not seen in quite a while.

#5 -- Tom Brady -- New England Patriots
Love 'em or Hate 'em, Tom is money. He proved he was all the way back in a week 6 beat down of Tennessee, where he threw for 5 TDs, in the 2nd quarter! He had 6 overall, and sports a TD/INT ratio of 15/4. He's 5th in the NFL in yards/game, but less than 5 yards/game behind 2nd place Roethlisberger in that category. For those that thought Brady was done, you were sorely mistaken. I don't think it will surprise anyone if the Patriots are back in the AFC Championship game this season.

#4 -- Matt Schaub -- Houston Texans
Schaub is the 2nd biggest surprise on this list, next to Orton of course. But the dude has been electric this season. 3rd in yards/game, Tied for 1st in TDs, a QB Rat. over 100, and the most 20+ yard passes in the NFL, Schaub brings the total package to the table. Sure it helps to have Andre Johnson on your team, but right now Schaub is in the zone. The Texans will be tested in the next few weeks; they have to play the Colts twice in their next 3 games. But after 8 games, the 5-3 Texans hold the 4th best QB in the NFL.

#3 -- Peyton Manning -- Indianapolis Colts
Another season, another stellar first half for the elder of the Manning brothers. Let's run through some stats here. Yards/game - 1st. TDs - T4. QB Rat. - 2nd. Sacks Taken - 1st. The dude can play, and we've almost become mundane to the fact that he's going to put up amazing numbers to the point where we're no longer amazed. We are here to tell you remind you, however, that there is no better play-calling QB in the league. The Colts' next 4 are brutal, though. Houston, NE, @ Houston, @ Baltimore. We'll re-evaluate at the end of the season.

#2 -- Drew Brees -- New Orleans Saints
Drew Brees? Number 2? Who can be number 1?!? Brees has been flat out amazing this season, indeed. He holds the 3rd highest QB Rating, and is tied for the most TD passes in the NFL. He spreads the ball around amazingly and, most importantly, is the captain of the NFC Favorite Saints (7-0). On top of that, they play the Panthers, Rams and Bucs in their next three. Say hello to the 10-0 Saints. The real question now is whether or not the Saints can run the table and go 16-0 in the regular season.

#1 -- Aaron Rodgers -- Green Bay Packers
That's right, Brees is not the best QB in our rankings. Aaron Rodgers has been, in a word, phenomenal. He has the highest QB Rat. in the NFL, the most 40+ yard plays, and the best TD/INT ratio in the NFL (15/2). All of this with that offensive line? He has little time on most plays, but makes the most out of bad situations on most plays. He also leads the NFC in yards, despite being 8th in the NFC in attempts/game. He's a gamer, and he'll have to be more than impressive over the team's 2nd half of the season in order to get the Packers into the playoffs. They'll be tested in the 2nd half, playing big games against Dallas, San Fran, Baltimore, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Arizona the remainder of the way.

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NFL Rundown - Week 8

This post written while preparing to watch my first UFL game! I'm excited to see if Quinn Gray and his top receiving target, Craphonso Thorpe, can propel New York to their first win in a rematch of a 24-7 loss to California two weeks ago. Tomorrow it's another rematch, with undefeated Florida and the league's top QB Brooks Bollinger against Las Vegas and J.P. Losman, who they beat 29-15 two weeks ago.

Week 7 Recap

Chris	Adam
Most Surprising Team: Arizona Cardinals. After losing to the 49ers in Week 1, and getting crushed by Indy in week 3, the Cardinals had been written off as victims of the Super Bowl losers' curse.	Most Surprising Team: Dallas Cowboys. I had already written them off this season. Looks like the boys in Big D could be gelling at a good time. Miles Austin is for real, and Romo almost looks comfortable.
Most Disappointing Team: Chicago Bears. The only word to describe that performance is "pathetic". They couldn't stop the run. They couldn't stop the pass. They couldn't protect the QB. They couldn't do ANYTHING.	Most Disappointing Team: Carolina Panthers. I know they’re not good, but a home game against Buffalo should’ve been what they needed to get back on the right track. It doesn’t get any easier this week, in Arizona.
Offensive Player of the Week: Cedric Benson. While Palmer threw for 5 TD, it was Benson, with189 rushing yards - a career high - who got his sweet revenge. After just 7 games, he's already gained more yards than he did in any of his 3 years in Chicago.	Offensive Player of the Week: Carson Palmer. 20-24, 233 yards and 5 TDs. He torched a bad Bears defense last week. This was a big game for the Bengals to have, too…after the bye they host Baltimore then go to Pittsburgh.
Defensive Player of the Week: Calvin Pace. The Jets had 2 forced fumbles, both of which resulted in turnovers, and 3 sacks, against Oakland. Pace was responsible for every one of them. Oh, and he also led the team in tackles.	Defensive Player of the Week: Keyaron Fox. The LB from Pitt may not have had the flashiest numbers, but picking off Brett Favre late in the game and returning it 82 yards for a TD was both impressive, and clutch.

Top 10:
1. New Orleans Saints (6-0) - The Saints' comeback against the Dolphins was reminiscent of another big comeback in 2000: The "Monday Night Miracle," when those same Dolphins lost 40-37 to the Jets after leading 30-7 at the end of the third quarter.
2. Denver Broncos (6-0) - After their bye week, the Broncos travel to Baltimore to face a Ravens team desperate to re-insert themselves in the AFC North picture with a win.
3. Indianapolis Colts (6-0) - The Colts will not be an easy first start of the year for 49ers QB Alex Smith. Indy has allowed just 8 passing TDs in their last 22 regular season games - or 1 TD every 87.75 pass attempts.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) - Other than the 3 unbeatens, nobody has a longer win streak than the Steelers. Their defense looks better every week, and propelled them to a win over previously undefeated Minnesota.
5. New England Patriots (5-2) - The Patriots have the third best point differential in the NFL, after only the Colts and Saints. After the bye, their schedule gets tough - Miami, @ Indianapolis, New York, @ New Orleans, @ Miami. With an easy end to the year, a 3-2 record over that stretch would be a win.
6. Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) - They put together a complete game against the Bears - passing, running, defense. They're still very inconsistent, but when they are clicking, they can be one of the best teams in the NFL.
7. Minnesota Vikings (6-1) - If there can be a moral victory in a loss for a team that was undefeated, this was it. They played a good game against the defending champs, and it was closer than the 10 points they lost by.
8. Arizona Cardinals (4-2) - Huge win over the Giants on Sunday night. They're now in sole possession of first place in the NFC West. The only teams left on their schedule with winning records are the Packers and Vikings, both of whom they get at home.
9. New York Giants (5-2) - They're in a funk, and their schedule doesn't get any easier. Their next 6 opponents are a combined 25-11, and the only team without a winning record in the bunch is 3-3 San Diego.
10. Dallas Cowboys (4-2) - They beat a very good Falcons team. For all the hubbub in the national media over their slow start, their only losses are by 9 total points to teams with a combined 11-2 record.

Week 8 Picks:

	Chris	Adam
Denver @ Baltimore	Denver	Baltimore
Houston @ Buffalo	Houston	Houston
Cleveland @ Chicago	Chicago	Chicago
Seattle @ Dallas	Dallas	Dallas
St. Louis @ Detroit	St. Louis	St. Louis
San Francisco @ Indianapolis	Indianapolis	Indianapolis
Miami @ N.Y. Jets	Miami	N.Y. Jets
N.Y. Giants @ Philadelphia	N.Y. Giants	Philadelphia
Oakland @ San Diego	San Diego	San Diego
Jacksonville @ Tennessee	Jacksonville	Tennessee
Minnesota @ Green Bay	Green Bay	Green Bay
Carolina @ Arizona	Arizona	Arizona
Atlanta @ New Orleans	Atlanta	Atlanta
Week #7	6-7	8-5
Overall	61-42	61-42

Players to Watch

Chris	Adam
Offensive Player to Watch: David Garrard and Vince Young. The worst two pass defenses in the NFL square off against each other. You have go figure one of these guys will have a good day.	Offensive Player to Watch: Matt Forte. He runs behind a bad O-Line, but Cleveland gives up over 170 rush yards a game. I see 130+ APY and 2 touchdowns for the 2nd year RB out of Chicago.
Defensive Player to Watch: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Antrel Rolle. DR-C has been burned more than a few times this year, but he and Rolle have 3 picks each, and face the Panthers, one of the worst pass offenses in the NFL.	Defensive Player to Watch: Ed Reed. The Broncos and super-efficient QB Kyle Orton may be slowed a little this week. Going to Baltimore isn’t easy. If Reed reads a quick slant, it could be a quick six the other way.

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NFL Rundown - Week 7

Week 6 Recap

Chris	Adam
Most Surprising Team: Buffalo. After a pathetic game against the Browns, it looked like the Bills were in a downward spiral. One week and 5 Mark Sanchez interceptions later, they're coming off a win against the now-reeling Jets.	Most Surprising Team: New Orleans Saints. We all knew they had the fire-power to compete with the top teams, but to blow out the team that was previously at the top of our rankings was more than impressive. There’s a new #1 in the NFL, and they reside in New Orleans.
Most Disappointing Team: Philadelphia. All due respect to my Bears fan co-blogger, but the Eagles losing to the hapless Raiders was easily the biggest disappointment of the weekend. Any time you make JaMarcus Russell look like even a mediocre pro QB, you have to consider your defensive effort an abject failure.	Most Disappointing Team: Chicago Bears. They had their chances. Forte, who had 2 fumbles in his career coming into last week, fumbled on back-to-back plays in the red-zone, and the Bears were totally inefficient deep inside Atlanta’s territory. They have to get better if they want to make the playoffs.
Offensive Player of the Week: Tom Brady. The Titans looked like they quit the moment they walked out on the field. Later in the game, Tom Brady didn't just look like he quit, he did quit - being pulled in the 3rd quarter after throwing for 6 touchdowns. In the snow. Any questions?	Offensive Player of the Week: Tom Brady. 29/34, 380 yards, 6 touchdowns. He’s back, he’s at full-strength, and he and “The Hoodie” completely beat up on a bad Titans team. The numbers Brady put up were way to excessive, but impressive none-the-less.
Defensive Player of the Week: The Buffalo Safeties. Starting FS Jairus Byrd netted two Mark Sanchez interceptions, while backups John Wendling and George Wilson each added one of their own.	Defensive Player of the Week: Brian Cushing. The Texans’ LB had quite a day. 6 Solo tackles, 3 assists, an INT and 2 forced fumbles were enough of an effort to knock off a hot Bengals team. Houston’s going to need more performances like this to make a playoff run, though.

Top 10:
1. New Orleans Saints - A blowout of last week's #1 team gets you the top spot.
2. Denver Broncos - Ok, NOW are they for real? Or is San Diego just not that good? I think it's a little of both.
3. Indianapolis Colts - They finally have Bob Sanders back, just in time for... um... the Rams? Seriously? Maybe he should sit another week, just in case.
4. Minnesota Vikings - That was much too close for comfort against Baltimore, and now they have the surging Steelers to deal with.
5. New York Giants - The Giants are still a good team, they just couldn't keep up with the Saints' blistering pace.
6. Atlanta Falcons - They're coming off 2 quality wins against the 49ers and the Bears. They now get the chance to put the Cowboys on the proverbial mat.
7. Pittsburgh Steelers - They finally played a good fourth quarter (albeit against Cleveland), and have won 3 in a row.
8. New England Patriots - A cold weather team at home in the snow is the biggest home field advantage in the NFL. The Titans didn't even bother to show up. They were probably too busy prancing around in Colts jerseys.
9. Cincinnati Bengals - After losing to Houston, who clearly haven't shaken their Jekyll & Hyde persona, they fall back to a tie with Pittsburgh for the division lead.
10. Arizona Cardinals - Look who's back in the playoff picture. The Cardinals have won 2 in a row, and are comign off a blowout of the Seahawks, who themselves had just blown out the Jaguars.

Week 7 Picks:

	Chris	Adam
Green Bay @ Cleveland	Green Bay	Green Bay
San Francisco @ Houston	San Francisco	San Francisco
San Diego @ Kansas City	Kansas City	San Diego
Minnesota @ Pittsburgh	Minnesota	Pittsburgh
Indianapolis @ St. Louis	Indianapolis	Indianapolis
New England @ Tampa Bay	New England	New England
Buffalo @ Carolina	Carolina	Carolina
N.Y. Jets @ Oakland	Oakland	N.Y. Jets
Chicago @ Cincinnati	Cincinnati	Chicago
Atlanta @ Dallas	Atlanta	Dallas
New Orleans @ Miami	New Orleans	Miami
Arizona @ N.Y. Giants	N.Y. Giants	N.Y. Giants
Philadelphia @ Washington	Philadelphia	Philadelphia
Week #6	8-6	8-6
Overall	55-35	53-37

Players to Watch

Chris	Adam
Offensive Player to Watch: DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. They each had over 100 yards rushing against the second worst run defense in the NFL last week. Now they get to play the worst run defense, the Bills.	Offensive Player to Watch: Mark Sanchez. He had a terrible game last week, but he’s coming “home” to Oakland, and he’s going to be hungry. Look for him to put up 2 or 3 touchdowns and have a real solid QB Rating.
Defensive Player to Watch: Bob Sanders. He's back too, and the Rams are a terrible team. The defense was already playing well, and now they have both Sanders and CB Kelvin Hayden back, giving them one of the best secondaries in the NFL.	Defensive Player to Watch: Troy Polamalu. He’s back, and eventually Favre is going to come back to earth. Pittsburgh needs wins, and I see Troy standing Head and Shoulders over the Vikings passing game this week. Expect a pick and a sack.

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Week 6 Injury Report

This post was written after my first day at my new job. <3 coffee coffee coffee!!!


Trent Edwards - QB - Buffalo Bills -- Conussion: Out 1-3 Weeks
Edwards took a nasty hit against the Jets last week, and left the game early with a concussion. As of Wednesday, he's not been present at the Bills practices, which Head Coach Dick Jauron says is "standard protocol" for this type of injury. It doesn't sound like he will play this weekend against Carolina, but Ryan Fitzpatrick filled-in nicely for him last week. He didn't put up great stats, but they beat out a tough New York Jets team. The Bills really aren't going anywhere this season anyway, but it always hurts to lose your starting QB.

Pisa Tinoisamoa - LB - Chicago Bears -- Knee: Out for Season
Tinoisamoa never played one full game for the Bears this season. Last week was his first week back since injuring his knee in week 1, and he didn't last too long. He was carted off before half-time, and his season is over as he'll opt for knee surgery. This hurts a Bears defense that is suspect as-is, especially considering MLB Brian Urlacher is already out for the season. Their depth will really be tested now. Hunter Hillenmeyer may be ready to jump back in the starting rotation, and he will likely fill in at MLB while Nick Roach moves over to SLB.

Antwan Odom - DE - Cincinnati Bengals -- Torn Achilles' Tendon: Out for Season
Possibly the biggest injury suffered this week, Odom going down really hurts the Bengals chances of making the playoffs. When he tore his Achilles' Tendon while rushing the passer, Bengals fans feared the worst, and that's exactly what they got. He's on the shelf for the rest of the season. Odom was leading the league in sacks (8), which is big considering the Bengals only have 16 as a team. In my opinion, the Bengals pass-rush took a hit I'm not sure the rest of the team can compensate for.

D'Qwell Jackson - LB - Cleveland Browns -- Shoulder: Out for Season
The Browns are a bad team as it is, but losing your leading tackler (Jackson currently sits 3rd in the NFL in tackles with 59) is a back-breaker. It's no secret that the Browns weren't going anywhere this season anyway, so I guess now is as good a time as ever to test your young guns out.

Kris Jenkins - DT - New York Jets -- Torn ACL: Out for Season
Odom's only rival to the "biggest loss" award, Jenkins loss cuts a struggling team deeply. He has been almost dominant this season, plugging gaps in every game. Now, he's out for the year, and no one really knows how they can replace him. The Jets were a lock to make the playoffs, but now they look to be the 2nd wildcard team at best.

Lofa Tatupu - LB - Seattle Seahawks -- Torn Pectoral Muscle: Out 7-10 Weeks
Tatupu's injury is still a little head-scratching. Right after it happened, the Seahawks reported he was out for the season. Now there's hope that he will be back before the season is over. Either way, it's a big blow to a franchise struggling to find a rhythm. He may be replaceable to some extent, but overcoming the 49ers and defending NFC Champion Arizona just got real difficult.

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